A typical electronics apparatus or system includes a plurality of components and electrical traces interconnecting the components. (The term “components” is used herein broadly to include any electrical circuit element (including without limitation integrated circuits, discrete circuit elements, and elements of an integrated circuit), any portion of such an electrical circuit element, and any electrically conductive element (including without limitation, electrically conductive vias, terminals, pads, etc.).) Examples of such electronic apparatuses or systems include, but are not limited to, printed circuit boards with electronic components mounted or formed thereon, probe cards for testing integrated circuits formed into a semiconductor wafer, and integrated electronic circuits, to name just a few.
A printed circuit board, for example, generally includes components such as integrated circuits, discrete electronics components, connectors for making electrical connections onto and off of the printed circuit board, vias, terminals, pads, etc. mounted or formed thereon. Electrical traces or wires must be formed on or within the printed circuit board to electrically connect various ones of the components.
Generally speaking, a probe card includes a printed circuit board, which is often circular. Components on the printed circuit board of a probe card may include such things as contacts for making electrical connections with a tester and contacts for making electrical connections with a probe head that ultimately makes electrical connections with test points on a semiconductor wafer. The printed circuit board may additionally include other components such as integrated circuits and discrete electronic components. Electrical traces must be formed on the printed circuit board to interconnect the tester contacts, the probe head contacts, and the other electrical components.
Again generally speaking, an integrated circuit consists of numerous electrical components integrated into a semiconductor material. Typically, the electrical components are transistors but may also include other electronic elements. The transistors and other electronic elements must be interconnected by traces of metal or other conductive materials formed typically in layers as part of the integrated circuit.
Regardless of the type of electronics apparatus or system (three nonexclusive examples of which have been mentioned above), the apparatus or system must be designed before it can be manufactured. Due to the increasing complexity of such electronic apparatuses and systems, computer aided engineering (CAE) or computer aided design (CAD) computer products have been developed to aid in the design of such apparatuses or systems. For example, such computer products may aid in the selection and arrangement of the electronic and mechanical components that compose the electronic apparatus or system. Some CAE or CAD computer products also aid in creating paths through the apparatus or system for the electrical traces that interconnect the electrical components of the apparatus or system. The present invention is directed to an improved computer product for automatically creating such paths.